On the second day of action for Team Ireland at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Bakuriani, Georgie, Alpine Skier Julia Deakins made an impressive start to her campaign, finishing 28th in the Girls Giant Slalom. Ireland's sole competitor of the day delivered two clean and aggressive runs, mixing with the best in Europe.
The EYOF runs from February 9–16, with four Irish athletes competing across multiple disciplines. The event is live-streamed on https://eoctv.org/live/.
Wearing bib number 44, Deakins’s first goal was to outperform her starting position. The determined US-based athlete skied a controlled race, finishing her first run in 39th place.
Reflecting in her performance following the first race, she said,
“All I was thinking aboutu at the start was that I wanted to finish, do well, and push as hard as I can, because no matter what I wanted to make my family happy. Coming out of the start was a little nerve-wracking and very steep. It’s not like anything that I’ve done before, to be honest, and I just wanted to be very confident and to push as hard as I could.”
With a Dublin-born mother, Deakins trains at the Stratton Mountain School, a ski academy in Vermont, USA. Encouraged by her first run, the 17-year-old pushed harder in the second run, moving into the top thirty, with an overall 28th position.
“I just wanted to go hard in the second run and give it everything I got. It’s only less than a minute of my life so I knew I needed to work for it. I knew I needed to go faster, and I was pushing hard and trying. I’m really happy with my run, at the start it was tight and then it opened up a bit. It was a lot turnier than the last run, but I like these courses better, so it worked out in my favour.
The Irish focus for tomorrow shifts to the Batumi Ice Arena, with Figure Skater Allie Peterson competing in the Girls Short Programme. Alpine Skiing resumes on Thursday with the Slalom events.
RESULTS 11th FEBRUARY:
Julia Deakins: Girls Giant Slalom – 28th place overall (run 1, 39th with 53.90, run 2, 30th with 55.08)
SCHEDULE 11th FEBRUARY:
Allie Peterson: Figure Skating – Junior Girls Short Programme
The full team competing at the Games are Figure Skater Allie Peterson, whose competition begins on Wednesday 12 February in the Batumi Ice Arena, and Alpine Skiers Julia Deakins, Kyle Gump and Finlay Wilson, who compete at the Bakuriani Alpine Skiing Course on the Didveli Slope.
